RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, March 21: Constructed in April 2011 after an expenditure of Rs one crore, Central Police Hospital, in the campus of JAP-10 at Hotwar in the Jharkhand capital, is lying without any use.
A short visit to the hospital located in the well-fortified campus of the women battalion suggested that proper attention is being paid on maintenance of its hospital building but inside the hospital there is nothing that could suggest that it is a hospital.
JAP-10 commandant Sandhya Rani Mehta could not be contacted for her comment. JAP ADG Tadasha Mishra assured proper information in the matter after proper verification of documents.
President of Jharkhand Policemen Association Rakesh Pandey supported the observation saying it ‘a live example of financial mismanagement’.
“During the second wave of Covid-19 last year when the crisis of beds was being faced across the state, we made every effort to start using it but failed. We have planned to bring into the notice of the chief minister,” Pandey said.
“We had high hopes from the Hotwar hospital as police personnel in the state are completely dependent on government centres like RIMS and Sadar hospitals or private ones like Medica,” Pandey added.
It was planned to be developed as a 50-bedded hospital, where policemen and their families could get treatment. The double-storey building has earmarked spaces for OPD, a pathological laboratory, X-ray units, intensive care units, doctors’ chambers and other facilities required to run a modern hospital but required infrastructure has not been provided to ensure optimum use of the spaces.
“A doctor, Dr Rohit Singh, comes from JAP-2 three days a week but not in the capacity of hospital doctor as a battalion doctor. A few nurses remain present but they are helpless without doctors,” an insider said.
In 2017, Dr Tarawati Choudhary, a gynaecologist came to the hospital. She was quite helpful in providing facilities for antenatal check-ups, dilation and curettage procedure for abortion besides treatment of common fever and management of minor accidents case,” the insider said.
Source in JAP 10 battalion said a letter was sent requesting deputation of four doctors in three shifts, 10 nurses, four paramedics and some help staff, five years ago but so far no action has been taken in this.
